March 29, 2011

Lemon and thyme braised baby artichokes

As part of this month's Healing Foods, I was challenged to cook whole, fresh artichokes for the first time. Usually I just buy them already cooked and marinated or in water, all ready to go. My grocery store has had a lot of fresh artichokes and figured this would be a good time to give them a try. So, this time I bought a container of baby artichokes which I cleaned myself. It wasn't that difficult at all. If you've never done it before, check out the step-by-step directions on this site. I wanted to keep my treatment of the artichoke hearts simple so that I could really taste the artichokes themselves. I braised them in some fresh lemon juice and thyme and they were quite delicious. Feel free to add other flavors as well such as basil, garlic, or red pepper flakes.

Artichokes are on the Healing Foods list because they contain a lot of fiber, vitamins B and C, iron, and an enzyme called cynarine, which increases your bile flow and is good for your liver and digestion. Give these artichokes a try. They are great as an appetizer or a side and make sure you have some crusty bread to go with them! This will serve 2-4 people as a side.Lemon and thyme braised baby artichokesabout 10 to 12 baby artichokes, cleaned and peeled to the hearts and cut in halfjuice of 1 to 2 lemons (depends on your taste - I like a lot of lemon)5 to 6 sprigs of fresh thymesea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oilwater, to cover

Add the juice of the lemon(s) and about 1-inch of water to a medium saucepan. Add the artichoke hearts to the pan as soon as you finish cleaning and cutting them (mix them around so they are covered in the lemon) because they will turn brown very quickly. Once they are all in the pan, add more water (if needed) until the are almost covered. Add the thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Cover and cook over medium heat until they are fork tender. Serve immediately.

3 comments:

Thanks for sending these delicious baby artichokes! I really like the simplicity of the ingredients, which is the best way to reveal the delicate taste of the artichokes!And I am very happy to discover your blog on the same occasion :-)